The Mind Creative March 2014
Recently I was watching a child make her doll climb over the same
rocks she was trying to navigate. It was not an easy task. The rocks
were a difficult terrain for someone so young. Why was the doll on
this adventure with her? And was the doll still a doll or had it turned
into a puppet?
At its essence puppetry is the art of bringing an inanimate object to
life through direct or indirect manipulation. When that object is given
a scenario, a task or a voice then it becomes a puppet.
Puppetry is an ancient art form that is constantly evolving. It has
been practised for thousands of years in western and eastern
traditions, in Africa, the Middle East, the Americas and the Pacific
Islands either as a sacred intervention to the gods, as popular
entertainment or as a vehicle for political or social comment. It is
a unique blend of theatre and visual art. Its expression can be
ritualistic, raunchy, serious or comedic. It can be verbal or purely
visual.
Sydney Puppet Theatre's “Nella Wings”
Photo: Brian Rapsey
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